February 13, 2012
Dear Families,
We had a very busy week learning about the Constitution in social
studies, kinetic and potential energy in science and have spent a great deal
of time on "fun fractions" in math. Also, the class is divided into four
seating groups to work on center activities during our morning reading time.
Ask your child to explain what they are working on in their biography, or
novel study, or Storyworks and magazines, or computer and research groups
during this time. We even have a few students that have completed one center
and have already moved on to their second activity.
Tomorrow is our Field Trip to the Planetarium at Riverview High School.
Please be sure that your child packs a lunch this evening or already has a
bag lunch ordered from the cafeteria. Also, since tomorrow is Valentine's
Day :) we will have a card exchange. They may bring in a decorated box or bag
if they choose to, but I do have special Valentine's bags for them to use.
***This newsletter is a "work in progress" as of 2/13/12.***
January 27, 2012
Dear Families,
The dates for the 4-H County Fair (Optional Extra Credit) Radish
Projects have been changed due to the first date that we were given to
complete the project... was during our week of spring break in March! So now,
the seeds should be planted by Friday, February 10 and the completed green
journal, pink fair entry form and the harvested radishes should be brought
into school on Friday March 9, rather than Friday, March 16. Happy Planting!!
Thank you so very much for all of the help with the ICOD countries last
week! It was a wonderful day for the students (and teachers and parents.)
You KNOW we could not have this wonderful day without you!! With our tight
curriculum, there is just not the time to study and work on all of the other
countries and cultures around us that we are able to learn about on our
International Celebration of Diversity day...Thank You!! :)
Next Friday is already the Star Sprint! Hopefully the rain this Friday
will not repeat next week. So keep an eye on the weather predictions to see
if the students may need to dress in layers for the 2nd and 3rd grade start
time of 10:15. Then,on Thursday, February 9 all students will be having their
yearly vision check by the county health staff.
On Tuesday,February 14 at 10:00,we will be heading off to a presentation
at the Riverview High School Planetarium. The only cost for the students will
be the $2.00 bus charge. They will need to pack a lunch or order a bag lunch
from the cafeteria that we will then eat together when we return. We will
also be exchanging Valentine's Day Cards and having a few treats in the
afternoon. Sounds like a fantastic fun Valentine's Day :)
The "pretty pink" February Adventure or Fantasy Book Report packets
went home on January 10 and the plan is due one week before the book report
on February 14; while the book report and project should be brought in for
student presentation on Tuesday, February 21.
We enjoyed a wonderful assembly this afternoon by the Florida Studio
Theatre Troupe about Writing a Play. They presented two short plays that were
written by children and then used ideas from the crowd to do some
improvisational plays with story elements suggested by the students. Their
main theme was not to worry about it if you do not get your writing the way
you want it the very first time..."Just erase it!" and try again!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Hope Flemming
January 6, 2012
Dear Families,
It seems as if the "short and sweet" science sharing investigations is
turning into a much larger project than it was supposed to be. If this was to
be a large project you certainly would have received much more information
and notice than a note handwritten to you by the students. It was supposed to
be students taking turns presenting the investigations from their science
textbook pages and then a few students asked if they could present "something
else"...so I gave them more books I have in the classroom and lists of
experiments to tie into their chosen unit to give their creative thinking
more choices. Uh-oh... Now it sounds as if it is turning into meetings and
outside days of projects and not at all what it was supposed to be.
So, I will need to "reign in" some of the over achievers and outside of
the box thinkers that have grown the fun presentations into a larger outside
of school work science project. I am so sorry this happened and I was unaware
how grandiose some of the students were taking it! So, back to the original
plan. This will simply be a small presentation done in school with materials
we have at hand to present and make the units a bit more fun. No outside
meetings and work other than what is to be done at school, please. Thank you
so much for your understanding :)
Sincerely,
Mrs. Hope Flemming
January 5, 2012
Dear Third Grade REACH families,
Happy 2012 everybody! I am so grateful for the wonderful weather that we
enjoyed over the holidays before the cold weather blew in this week. My
daughter Natalie was here from L.A. and was very happy that we were able to
spend so much time swimming in the pool along with our other celebrations. We
even had a sweet stray dog wander into our yard to spend a few days with us
until we found the rightful owner! I am hoping that everyone had a wonderful
break and now we are refreshed and ready to push forward with our learning
and discoveries in the new year!
We are reviewing and will then assess multiplication and division facts
before moving on to topic 10 with patterns and relationships in Algebra. The
students that are finishing their work on time and completing it correctly
will have the option daily to work on problem solving in our DynaMath
enrichment magazines and other "I'm Done" math performance papers. All
district students have been completing a "benchmark math test" presented on
the computer throughout the week. Our class has finished this task!
In reading, we are reviewing and finishing the final stories in our first
"Twists and Turns" Storytown reading text and will then assess how the
students are doing with our practiced reading skills with a Theme Three test
before starting our second textbook. We will also be starting a new class
novel, School Spirit by Johanna Hurwitz. It is a realistic fiction book about
students trying to save their school from closing and needing to attend a
different school.
After looking over the writing prompts that the students completed
before the December break, we will now be focusing on adding more details and
anecdotes into those writings for support and proof of their writing
statements. On January 23, there will be another school wide expository
writing prompt. We are continuing onward in our units of spelling and
vocabulary and will be starting cursive handwriting practice on Friday :).
January's unit of study in science will be the study of the states of
matter, and this week in class we have discussed the upcoming student class
investigations and presentations. They will be bringing home a plan to share
with you and to see if you approve or have any suggestions to add to them,
and will then sign their plan before it is returned back to school for the
student groups to begin. In Social Studies we are learning about the
structure and workings of our local, state and national governments through
the textbook and our Social Studies Weekly newspapers.
It looks to be a very busy and rewarding January...
Sincerely,
Mrs. Hope Flemming
December 18, 2011
Dear Third Grade REACH families,
Thank you for all of the wonderful cards, kind words, and thoughtful
gifts. I do so appreciate all of us working together to make this a year of
incredible learning and social growth for your children :) Now we have the
time to exhale, relax, and enjoy special times with our families and friends.
**Remember to have your kids read, read, read and practice multiplication and
division facts whenever you need them "to go do something else". Just type in
"learn multiplication facts" or "learn division facts" in the search engines
on the computer and there will be many ways to review and practice those much
needed facts. Flashcards work well taken along on traveling trips, too....
Be safe, have fun, and I will see you again soon in the new year!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Hope Flemming
December 8, 2011
Dear Third Grade REACH families,
Flemming's GEMS have been working so very hard over the past week on
the December bulletin board writing at school and on their book report and
project at home. So, it was a wonderful time to take a break for our fun
field trip to the AMC theater to watch the film produced about a book that
many students have read and enjoyed called Hugo Cabret. Since I have listened
to this novel on CD as I drive back and forth to school each morning, I was
especially thrilled to see the film version. When we returned to our
classroom, we watched a presentation from the author's point of view on why
he wrote the book.
We wrote our Gingerbread Fred projects from the first draft through the
editing with classmates and editing many times with the teacher steps; and
then onward to the final revision and publishing stages for the finished
project that is now displayed on the front hallway bulletin board. The
students had been asked to focus on "calling the COPS" by checking their
writings for capitalization, overall appearance, punctuation, spelling, and
then making sure it makes sense. Also, we continue to work on remembering to
indent paragraphs and keeping the details close together with their main
ideas and theme as we write.
We had a very interesting discussion this past week about Pearl
Harbor, World War II and our Sarasota connection to V-J day at the end of the
war with the Unconditional Surrender statue that we now have in Sarasota. We
looked at the original picture that this statue is based on that was taken
at the end of the war in Times Square. I also shared with them that one of
the men that is featured on raising the flag at Iwo Jima on the monument
lived and was a business owner in my tiny hometown of Antigo, Wisconsin.
Flemming's GEMS have now finished their class novel, The Trumpet of the
Swan. The students have been working on comprehension packets along the way
after every few chapters of reading. The students that have taken the SRC
quiz on the novel have been scoring very highly with this extra focus on the
elements of reading. Taking time to stop and think about what you are reading
is the best way to really understand the stories!
Division continues to be the focus of our math units. We have been
learning about the fact families with multiplication and how to use division
to start with the whole and divide into parts to solve math problems. Also,
that a great helping strategy is to draw a picture (array)to check your
division answers. Please encourage your children to practice division
flashcards when there is any extra time over the holidays.
Next week we will continue our regular studies, but will mix in making
some crafts, having a holiday card exchange, will enjoy a couple of treats
and some extra time to play kickball and other outdoor games to enjoy with
our classmates before the holiday break begins.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Hope Flemming
November 17, 2011
Dear Third Grade REACH families,
** Flemming's GEMS will have a "Gingerbread Fred" activity to have
fun with and write about ONE chosen day over the Thanksgiving vacation
break! We will finish the project in school the last few days of
November,and will then use the gingerbread writing projects to decorate
the REACH bulletin board in the front office hallway for the month of
December**...
Sincerely,
Mrs. Hope Flemming
November 15, 2011
Dear Third Grade REACH families,
Congratulations to the students that qualified for the First Marking
Period Honor Roll Assembly this Tuesday morning. Ashton Elementary School
guidelines are that students need to have earned A's and B's in every subject;
S's or O's in each Specials class and have a Passing work habits grade in
order to qualify. For those that did not qualify in the first marking period,
now is your chance to work hard to ensure that you earn, qualify, and attend
the Second Marking Period Honor Roll Assembly. Flemming's GEMS have filled
their first Compliment Jar!! Students have voted on "Parent Approved
Electronics and Board Games" as their reward for the afternoon of November
21. They will be bringing home a letter to get permission for what they are
allowed to bring. Congratulations on your first filled compliments jar!
...Hoping for many more to come!!
Thank You to Firefighter John for bringing his firetruck to Ashton
Elementary to show us many of the pieces of equipment firefighters are
trained to use to help others, put out fires and save lives. Some of the
specialized items he demonstrated for us were... the air pack, hoses,
diverters, vent saw,lobster claw cutter, and a pike pole to assist the smoke
to rise up and out through the roof to in an active house fire. Thank you
families for spending the time to go over the fire safety items and plan that
was sent home to discuss.
Flemming's GEMS participated in the first of four "school wide writing
prompts". During these sessions, each student is provided with a prompt to
begin the thinking, planning and writing. Last month's prompt was:"Everyone
has a favorite season/time of the year. Explain what your favorite time is
and why..." They were then given a planner to write a focus statement,a main
idea with details and anecdotes and an ending including a summary of the
focus statement; during an allowed 45 minute time period.
We have been learning about vertebrate and invertebrate animals in
science and in our reading stories. The characteristics and classifications
have been compared and then the students have been writing which ones are
their favorite groups that they would like to visit at the zoo and why. Since
the Science Fair entries were turned in on Monday (Hooray!); we will now
assign specific dates in the calendar/agendas for each student to be our
class scientist to explain and prevent investigations and lessons from our
science text to the rest of the class. The students have already written down
their top three choices...
Sincerely,
Mrs. Hope Flemming
October 18, 2011
Dear Third Grade REACH families,
We have been adopted!! Thank you so very much to Jackson Anderson's
family for sponsoring our class through the PTO's Adopt A Class program this
year. I was able to buy the Weekly Reader News magazines that the students are
enjoying and then bringing home to share with you! Also thank you
to Mrs. Kay Wagner for being such a great teacher while I was out of
school on a wonderful and restful trip to Maine. The weather was sunny and
mild and the colored leaves and picturesque lighthouses and coves were
beautiful to visit once again.
Last Thursday we went on our first field trip of the year to Florida
Studio Theatre to see Jack and the Enchanted Beanstalk. It was a wonderful
play and we were seated in the first two rows and very close to the stage, so
we especially enjoyed the performance. Flemming's GEMS were well behaved while
we were there:) The students wrote thank you letters to the "philanthropic"
people and groups that help to subsidize the theatre for students to be able
to attend at such a reasonable price.
Mrs. Shelley Sims, our third grade guidance counselor, talked with the
students on Monday and shared information about bullying. They then read and
we discussed about cyberbullying in a Weekly Reader News magazine that I have
been saving to go along with her presentation. Your children should be sharing
these items with you on Tuesday night as one of their homework assignments.
The first book report and project presentations took quite a bit of
class time last Wednesday and Thursday, but there was a LOT of valuable
practice in reading, writing, note-taking and presentation skills making that
time so well worth it!!We all enjoyed so many different and creative
projects:)!
Starting this week, I am moving the Math block time up to the very
beginning of the day, as it just seems that the necessary focus time is not
there for many students during the later morning or early afternoon.
We will see if "early morning math" works out a bit better for them. I am
also moving the library/media time to 10:15 rather than 9:15 on Thursday
mornings so we do not lose the optimum morning attention span time there as
well.
Both the Tech and Science specials teachers were very disappointed in
the students attention to their instruction during their classes this past
week. "They just don't seem to want to listen" was reported to me by Mrs.
Ward, Mrs. McCoy and also recently by Mrs. Kolb in the cafeteria. They said
they are needing to say things 3 and 4 times in order for the students to tune
in. So once again, I am asking for your support and hoping that you will
discuss the importance of being respectful, tuning in and then getting more
done rather than tuning out and wasting precious time.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Hope Flemming
September 30, 2011
Dear Third Grade REACH families,
The REACH team had their meeting yesterday after school to finalize the
countries that will be studied and "visited" for ICOD on January 20, 2012.
They are:
Australia: Mrs. Whitesides (2nd grade REACH)
India: Mrs. McGarry (5th grade REACH)
Belgium: Mrs. Wandall (1st grade REACH)
Scotland: Mrs. Flemming (3rd grade REACH)
Slovakia: Mrs. DeWitt (4th grade REACH)
I had planned on returning the math tests Friday, so I woke up VERY
early this morning to finish correcting them; packed them up in a "return to
students" plastic flip-top box and then set them down inside the doorway as I
went back in the house to get something else...!! So since there is not
enough time to drive back and forth to Bradenton to get them while the kids
are at Specials, I signed up for a missed assignment and signed up for Study
Hall,:) and you will now need to receive them back on Monday; so sorry!
Sounds like fall is arriving in Florida this weekend. Your children are
supposed to practice their fluency and delight you with a couple of Johnny
Appleseed readings... Enjoy!! (More info was included on the orange printed
out copy that your child brought home that I did not want to share over the
internet).
Sincerely,
Mrs. Hope Flemming
September 28, 2011
Dear Third Grade REACH families,
Thank you for attending Parent Information Night last Thursday and a very
special thank you to Gayle and Ken Frank for donating the two beautiful
"Flemming's GEMS" signs that were placed by the portable and will be mounted
soon; didn't they look great? I received many positive comments about the
pretty blue signs:) The two back-to-back sessions worked out very well for
most families, and there were just a "couple" of things that I wasn't so sure
if I had said and/or repeated as I raced through so much information!! Most
importantly, I think you may now appreciate even more how hard your children
have been working to get the routines, guidelines, organization and expected
behaviors of third grade REACH into place!
As we head into the second four weeks of the first marking period, there
is a continued busy schedule ahead...On Wednesday September 28, we will be
testing on the rounding and compatible numbers strategies of unit 2 in math.
Ready or not, here we come Unit 2 test and then we will go onward...
Also, this week is a complete review week for units 1-4 in the green
vocabulary book; so we will be needing to spend a bit more time reviewing the
first 80 words that have been presented so far. So rather than a regular unit
vocabulary test on our usual Thursday schedule, the test for Review units 1-4
will be the following Monday on October 3 to allow for more study. We are
also reviewing phrases and parts of speech in the book as the review unit
tests usually ask them to identify if a word is used in a short phrase as a
noun, verb, or adjective.
Flemming's GEMS are now reading their second novel "The Trumpet of the
Swan" by E.B. White and are also using the Storyworks language arts magazine
to supplement and enrich the regular Storytown reading series and writing
workshop skills. In Science we will be learning and reviewing the scientific
process that needs to be used in their Science Fair Projects. We are working
on and finishing units on the autumnal equinox and the reasons for the
changing of the seasons along with a "Treasures From the Deep" packet on the
retrieval of sunken treasure from the Atocha spanish treasure ship. We will
also be adding in further enjoyment and studies in the Weekly Reader Science
Spin magazine and the National Geographic Explorer magazine.
In Social Studies we are finishing our first Social Studies Weekly
newspaper study and activities that they will be bringing home to share with
you. We will finish chapter 7: active citizens, rights and responsibilities,
then will go on to study chapter 4: Communities in History to cover the
explorers(including Columbus in time for his upcoming celebrated day) and then
the early colonies leading up to the pilgrims and Thanksgiving for November.
On Monday, September 26 the third grade team begins their daily Study
Hall for students that need extra time to fix up or finish incomplete, late,
or missing work. Rather than the children trying to do work or catch up on
reading at outside picnic tables at recess while others play noisily around
them, now one teacher a day takes a turn monitoring her (or his) classroom to
allow students a quieter place and time to be able to catch up and then be
able to continue their regular classroom lessons with their class rather than
being behind or having extra homework. We hope this Study Hall guides the
students to be responsible and reliable to hand in their best finished work
that they are proud of on time, and then earn better work habit scores and
higher grades. One of the students asked me today if she could choose to go
to Study Hall to do her work because she knew the family had a very busy
night scheduled and she wanted to do some homework ahead. That is fine with
me if you also support that; just write a note in the agenda to give
permission if you want your child to use the extra study and work time at
Study Hall.
Congratulations to the students that attended the awards assembly for
the summer reading and writing programs Wednesday afternoon. 13 of the 18
GEMS completed some summer reading, writing and math work over the summer and
that has to be helping them as they return to school:)
Lastly, the Thursday, October 27 Ashton Carnival is looking for needed
volunteers. Anyone (or a couple or a small group) that wants to sit down with
the directory and the sign up sheet to fill some of the hour time slots for
our class parents? Set up starts at 8:30 a.m. and the Carnival with the last
later clean up time slot runs through 8:30 p.m. Please let me know if you can
coordinate this and I will send the "official PTO sign up sheet" home with
yor child. Thank you for considering this :0)
Sincerely,
Mrs. Hope Flemming
September 21, 2011
Dear Third Grade REACH families,
Thank you so much for the forms you so promptly filled out and returned.
I will see most of you tomorrow evening at 6:30 or at 7:00 as you indicated
on the form :)
I did collect the Reading Logs today to assign points that have
been earned for the mid-term reports that will come home on Friday. So if
your child tells you "the teacher has it", he/she is certainly correct. I
asked the students to just write their Weds. reading down on a piece of paper
or in their agenda to add it to the log when they receive it back tomorrow.
If it seems to you that we are spending a LOT of time in unit 2 of the
math book, it is because we discovered last year that this is one of the
toughest chapters in the book for so many students. Going back and forth with
rounding, estimating and using compatible numbers for problems up to a
hundred thousand is very tough to do in the beginning of the year!! So we
have been working hard using the place value chart and using practice,
practice, practice at school before we review the unit and then will need to
take a test early next week.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Hope Flemming
September 15, 2011
Dear Third Grade REACH families,
Since Ashton Elementary is scheduling Parent Information Night in two
sessions this year on next Thursday,September 22 for Grades 3,4,& 5; I
would love to be able to have about 1/2 of the class parents attend at each
session if at all possible so there is room in our smaller portable for you
to actually have a chair and be more comfortable!! So... if you plan to
attend, please send back the following return form or let me know by e-mail
or with a note in the agenda. If either time would work for you, then please
also let me know that in case we have a huge response to one time over the
other and I could have the flexibility to change your time from one to the
other:)...We'll see how this "idea" works out...
******************************************************************************
Name:__________________________#of parents(parents only,please)attending _____
I would like to attend the third grade REACH Parent Information night at
Portable #2 on Thursday, September 22, 2011 at the following preferred time:
Choice One :6:30-6:55_____
OR
Choice Two :7:00-7:25_____
OR
Choice Three: I can attend either time, so please let me know which one has
more "room" available______.
Thank You!!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Hope Flemming
hope_flemming@sarasota.k12.fl.us
Dear Third Grade REACH families, September 12, 2011
Happy Monday! I have some good news for all of us!! I am able
to "piggyback" on a business trip that my husband needs to do in early
October; so the first Book Report and Presentation will be pushed back one
day to Weds., October 12 rather than Tuesday, October 11 so that I can be
back from Maine to see, grade, and mostly to appreciate the reports and the
projects :)
Sincerely, Mrs. Hope Flemming
Dear Third Grade REACH families, September 9, 2011
I hope you all had a restful and/or fun 3 day weekend! Your students are
bringing home a LOT of new information this week; so be sure to go through
their take home folder carefully with them :) There are guidelines for
homework and Astro Citizen included in the papers.
What a joy it was to meet our newly adopted guide dog Lucky Ashton at
school Wednesday morning! He is so very adorable and his trainer/host allowed
the students to pet him and ask questions as the dog worked so hard NOT to be
excited and NOT to lick and cuddle in with the students :)
Flemming's GEMS took their unit one math test on Wednesday and it will be
coming home with them today. I decided to give the students both the multiple
choice and the free response test as neither one was very long and I do want
them to experience taking different types of tests. I am encouraging them to
be careful with reading directions and understanding what the question is
asking....for a number or a name or a digit or a place value? Also, some math
questions ask more than one question in it, so they need more than one answer
and then these questions are worth more points than a singular answer.
I have revised the areas discussed on both the homework and reading pages
on this website to clarify about the Thursday "Vocabulary Test". These weekly
tests are on the 10 Vocabulary words we study in depth each week in our green
enrichment vocabulary books and the ones listed in the Storytown reading
series are discussed as we begin the story and are then used in the context of
the story. Their second vocabulary test will also be coming home with them
today :).
Dear GEMS families, I do need to notify you that many of the students are
not paying attention and following directions while in the Specials rotation
of classes. The Science, Tech and Art teachers have each called me in when I
go to pick the students up to tell me that they are very disappointed in the
behavior and respectfulness being shown by some of the students. So please
speak with your children (as I have been doing at school) about the importance
of stopping the extra talking, to focus, listen and to follow directions and
to work cooperatively while they are in their Specials classes as well as in
the regular classroom.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Hope Flemming
Dear Third Grade REACH families, August 31, 2011
I must say that I am glad to see August coming to an end with the freak
accidents that I have had happen over the past couple of weeks! This morning I
ended up needing to go to see my eye doctor rather than coming to school
because I caused a corneal laceration to happen when the very sharp manicure
scissors I was using poked and cut my right eye!! So I am on antibiotics and
numbing drops with a clear "contact lens bandage" covering my cornea snugly
holding the two parts together and should be good to come back to school on
Thursday. I told my eye doctor that if I had to wear the sunglasses or an eye
patch he suggested for light sensitivity, my students would probably think it
was cool:) I also told him the story about last week's playground duty "pine
cone injury"...Oh, my!! Since both his wife and daughter are teachers, he
especially appreciated hearing that one.
When hubby Gary and I dropped off lesson plans with Mr. Bernstein
this morning in the classroom on the way to the eye doctor, he seemed like he
was very tuned in to the students, as he has a fourth grade child attending
Pine View. I felt reassured that your wonderful children would be in great
hands for the day!! So, please be patient as the next couple of days unwind
if ALL of the programs we were adding in this week may be a day or two
delayed...I will be handing out the Book Report schedule and we will set up
Response Journals on Thursday as long as the healing continues well.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Hope Flemming
Dear Third grade REACH families, August 29, 2011
We were so sorry to have Nicholas and Brennen move to Mr. Redington's
class this past Friday, but we do understand the state class size ammendment
and its "now applicable" fines that are in effect for each student that is
over 18 in a class for grades K-3 and over 22 in grades 4 and 5. We will still
see them both daily and will certainly involve both boys in all extra REACH
projects and activities :)
It has been an exciting first week!! We have read and are now working on
answering comprehension questions on lined paper using a "proper five point
heading" for the first story in our Storytown reading series, along with
enjoying the first two chapters so far of the CRAZY Herdmans in our class
novel, "The Best/Worst School Year Ever". It is a fun filled example of what
NOT to do in school! Flemming's GEMS logged their nightly reading on a new
reading log throughout the week and took "Beginning of the year" evaluation
tests in both reading and in math. We have completed the first three lessons
in our Envision Math series as well as bar graphing the class birthdates and
their home transportation plans.
In science, we have extensively studied how gems are formed, made, and
treasured. Third grade REACH students enjoyed a visit from their third grade
guidance counselor Mrs. Shelley Sims who read a wonderful story about and
discussed friendships at school. We will be using the helpful choices and
examples found on "Kelso's Wheel" in our classroom to guide our goals of
respect, organization, positive attitude, responsibility and self control to
make this year a very fantastic one!!
This next week we will be adding in our spelling, vocabulary, response
journals, writing notebooks, sunshine math and social studies too. Our new
assistant principal Dr. Jacob Ruscoe will be visiting us on Monday morning.
Students will be bringing home informational papers about their required
Science Fair project and meeting dates, and a schedule of Book Reports and
Presentation dates. I have entered the students N#'s and passwords into the
various programs so that they can now access their reading, math and science
textbooks on-line. We will be starting our assigned times in the Success Maker
Lab on Wednesdays and Fridays at 2:15 and Media Center at 9:15 on Thursdays.
Parents...thank you so very much for your support this week and for
signing the agenda, reading log and MANY papers that your children have been
bringing home to share with you:). Flemming's GEMS have a green folder in
their desk to keep their "work in progress" organized. You may see this coming
home once in a while if the work is not being finished and turned in on time.
Finished work that students may then keep at home ("Green Light Papers") will
be sent home on Monday or Tuesday of each week to allow time for the previous
end-of-the-week tests to be graded, entered into the computer and then
returned. Heading happily into week two:)... Sincerely,
Mrs. Hope Flemming
August 23, 2011
After speaking with Mr. Muth yesterday after school, he has okayed that
since we are the only class at dismissal that comes from our direction on
campus through the side front gate... that students may be released to
parents at that gate by our portable if parents are right there when we go
through. If the parent is not waiting there, then the other front options
remain for the student to board the bus or release the student to a parent
waiting at the gazebo after the walk around the bus loop. Hopefully the back
pick-up area will continue to improve the waiting time in line as well. We
will see how this all works out as the week progresses.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Hope Flemming
August 20, 2011
Dear Third Grade REACH families,
It was so wonderful to meet with you all yesterday at the Open House!
We have had one more student added to our class; and the (smaller number of)
girls will be glad to know that Emma will be joining us on Monday :) We will
add her first and last name to our lists the first day of school. I am looking
forward to reading the letters that students are writing to me! Remember that
we have P.E. as our Special class on the first day of school, so those "proper
P.E." shoes will be needed. Enjoy the weekend and I will see you Monday
morning at 7:50...
Sincerely,
Mrs. Flemming
August 19, 2011
Dear Third Grade REACH students,
My name is Mrs. Hope Flemming and I am so excited to have you in my class
this year! I have been a Pennsylvania and Florida school teacher for 20 years
and I have taught all grade levels; but my very favorite is third grade. We
will have a wonderful year together working hard and also having fun! So
far,we have 19 students in our class, and our classroom is in portable 2. I am
so glad to be in a classroom with large windows for daylight and fresh air.
Let me tell you a little about your teacher and her family...
My husband Gary is the national window manager for YKK Products. He travels
quite a bit and sometimes I am able to go along; I was thrilled to visit
Savannah and St. Augustine with him this summer.
I have two wonderful and very special children! Natalie had previously
lived in New York City and worked as a senior art buyer and produced the “Got
Milk?”commercials. Then she moved all the way across the country to
Portland,Oregon to produce the advertisements for Nike, Levis, Target, and
other companies. We visited her often and love the beauty of that area. Then
she moved one more time last year with her cat “Puppy” and her dog “Harvey” to
Los Angeles to work as a producer for a studio, “72 and Sunny”. She loves
being by the ocean and we look forward to going to California some time soon
to see her and the new area. ...
Ryan lives in Falls Church, Virginia and he is the treasurer of a bank
very near the White House. He was married to Sara in November at Rehoboth
Beach, Delaware and they have purchased a lovely home as well as adopting
a boxer they have named Olivia. They both have happy and busy lives, and I
miss them very much.
So now you will all be my special “classroom children” for the next ten
months:) I LOVE to read; as you will be able to tell from our classroom
collection of over 1,000 books! Our classroom theme is “Setting Sail on a
Learning Adventure...” ! Your first reading assignment will be to tell us
about a book you read and enjoyed over the summer. So start thinking what you
would like to share with the class about your book.
Now, please tell me all about yourself. What did you do over the
summer? Did you travel? What do you hope to do this year in third grade? Do
you have any questions you would like to ask me? Any concerns or special
happenings you want to tell me about? Your first writing assignment is for
you to write a letter to me all about you and I will also be giving your
parents a writing assignment to write a letter to tell me about you
“through their eyes” :)!See you again on Monday...
Sincerely,
Mrs. Hope Flemming
Flemming’s GEMS Third Grade REACH “Parent Connection” Newsletter
Dear Families, August 18, 2011
I have sent out postcards to welcome my new students to Third Grade REACH!
I will check with you all soon to make sure I have your most recent/current
addresses. I will see you Friday at Open House; (Drop in anytime between
11:00-1:00)...Or I will meet you on Monday, August 22 at the covered PE area
behind the school to start out our new year :)
Sincerely,
Mrs. Flemming
Dear Families, August 15, 2011
Here is a list of just SOME of the skills and strategies we will be
working on in the first weeks of school. (Take a deep breath before
reading :) ...following verbal directions in the classroom and reading all
written directions at least two times before starting a task, putting
headings on papers before doing the work, writing down assignments in the
agenda book fully and correctly, using our “Mind’s Eye” to visualize while we
read, learning how to use our classroom library to check out books, using
the Ready Reading Reference bookmark to remind us of strategies to use
before, during, and after we read, filling out a Reading Log each evening,
reading and presenting a play about rules, reviewing place value, graphing,
adding, subtracting,and fact families,learning about the food pyramid, and
how gems are harvested from the earth, writing a letter to the teacher,
taking beginning of the year assessment tests in reading, vocabulary and
math, and learning how to “go back to the reading” to uncover the answers to
most questions. WHEW!!!!
The Weeks Ahead...
**We will set up Reading Response Journals to help us think even deeper about
what we are reading; and then we will write about our independent reading
once each 7 day rotating cycle in a response with either a classmate,parent,
the teacher or the intern.
**I will be handing out the book report information for the year so that you
will have the dates and expectations well ahead of time.
Reminders...
**Check out my website on the Ashton Elementary Third Grade team as there is a
LOT of information there that may help and inform you.
**Please keep those morning and afternoon snacks the HEALTHY kind to keep
these bright students thinking with a Sparkle Bright Mind!!
**Feel free to e-mail me at any time at hope_flemming@sarasota.k12.fl.us or
use the agenda books to write any questions or comments you may have. I try to
answer all questions and concerns the very same day you send them during my
planning time or after school or in the evening.
**Check the reading log, the home school folder and agenda daily and add
parent signature after you discuss the work with your child.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Hope Flemming
******************************************************************************
I would like our family to be included in the Flemming's GEMS Third Grade
REACH 2011-2012 Directory. Please return by Friday, September 02, 2011.
Our information is:
Student Name:_______________________________________________________________
Parent's Name(s):___________________________________________________________
Phone Numbers:Home:__________________Work:_______________ Cell:_____________
In which priority should we use the numbers for a phone call?
1)________ 2)_________ 3)________
E-mail address(es):_________________________________________________________
Check here if you are willing to organize/make a directory for our class____
Signed:_________________________________________Date:_______________________
